Don't go cold turkey on the exercise this Thanksgiving

Friday

The holidays can be stressful. Lots of folks turn to food when they’re stressed.

“It just so happens that around the holidays, a lot more food tends to be available,” said Ryan Hoover, fitness instructor and owner of Ryan Hoover’s Extreme Fitness in Gastonia.

That’s one of the biggest challenges facing those wanting to avoid packing on extra pounds at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Calorie-laden treats are often plentiful at family gatherings, office parties or holiday get-togethers with friends this time of year. The key is knowing what you can do to help fight the temptation to overdo it.

“If you know you’re getting ready to go to a family gathering or a party, especially around the holidays, have a little snack before you go,” Hoover advises. “Have some carrots or an apple or some nuts so you’re not starving.”

While managing how much you eat at the holidays is important in maintaining your weight, so too is not slacking off with your fitness routine. To help folks get an extra workout in before sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner – and to help needy families in the area – Ryan Hoover’s Extreme Karate is hosting a Pre-Thanksgiving Workout at 8 a.m. Thursday.

Hoover, who will be leading the workout, said he plans to make it fun, functional and appropriate for all fitness levels, with body weight and interval training, kettlebell lifts and “some heavy bag so people can hit the heavy bag a little bit before they go tackle the rest of their day.”

The workouts are open to everyone, said Hoover, who is asking participants to donate a minimum of $10 to support local food banks through the Feeding America program.

“If you start the day with a good hard workout, it relieves stress, reminds you of what your goals are and you may be less inclined to be influenced by stressors of the day and avoid acting in a way that takes you away from whatever goals you’ve set for yourself,” he said. “People will leave the morning feeling like they’ve accomplished something and will feel a little bit better about splurging a little bit.”

WORK OUT BEFORE YOU SPLURGE OUT

Ryan Hoover’s Extreme Karate, 1124 E. Hudson Blvd., Gastonia, is hosting a Pre-Thanksgiving Workout at 8 a.m. Thursday. The workout is open to all and participants are asked to donate a minimum of $10 to raise money for local food banks through the Feeding America program. For more information, call 704-867-4020 or visit www.rhek.com. To learn more about Feeding America, call 800-771-2303 or visit www.feedingamerica.org.

FIVE WAYS TO STAY FIT AT THE HOLIDAYS

1. Remember portion control. “Don’t feel like you have to sample everything,” said fitness instructor Ryan Hoover. “Eat until you’re satisfied, not until you’re stuffed.”

2. Don’t skip meals. As a general nutritional rule, it’s a bad idea to skip meals, Hoover said. “Your body goes into kind of a starvation mode. Instead of burning calories and burning fat, your body stores those things because it’s unsure when it’s next meal is going to come.” People who skip meals before a holiday party often typically tend to overeat when the time comes to finally eat, he said.

3. It’s OK to splurge. If you know you’re going to have a big cheat day where you eat things you normally wouldn’t, plan to eat plan healthier meals before and after.

4. Make exercise a priority. It’s easy to use all the extra stuff you have to get done at the holidays as an excuse to skip workouts. But if you’re serious about maintaining your weight at the holiday, you have to make fitness a priority, Hoover said. “Like anything else, I can build good habits or bad habits,” he said. “If I make it part of what I do, make it part of my routine, it’s easier to stick with.”

5. Drink up – just not alcohol. Alcoholic drinks are empty calories your body doesn’t need and can lower your inhibitions, making overeating more likely. Drink plenty of water instead. Not only does your body function better when it’s well hydrated, water “keeps you a bit fuller, too, so you’re less inclined to eat as much.”

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